Representatives of the European Challenge Tour, the Staysure Tour, Ladies European Tour and Jordan Tourism Board unveiled the trophy for the inaugural Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla at World Travel Market.
The trophy, which is constructed of 15kg of cut crystal and measures 60cm in height, will be presented to the winner of the Jordan Mixed Open, set to take place at Ayla Golf Club from April 4-6.
The tournament will be the first in world golf to see professionals from the men’s, ladies’ and over-50s Tours compete over the same golf course for the same prize purse. They will also be joined by a leading amateur from the men’s, ladies’ and senior games.
Designed using an ancient ‘triquetra’ shape, the trophy bears a design featuring a circle passing through three interconnected loops. The word ‘triquetra’ is Latin for ‘three-cornered’ and, although the exact origins are unknown, examples of its use date back over 5,000 years.
Each loop is representative of the event’s co-sanctioning tours, while the golf ball further emphasises the cohesion between three forces of the sport. This shape is commonly used to represent equality and, using the brand colours of each tour, perfectly encapsulates the underlying principles of the Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla.
Upon unveiling the trophy at ExCel London, Dr Abed Al-Razzaq Arabiyat, Managing Director of Jordan Tourism Board, said: “Golf is central to the vision of Aqaba as a tourist destination and of Ayla as one of the world’s most forward-thinking residential and recreational communities.
“Accompanied by the Jordan Tourism Board’s dual commitment to the promotion of Jordan to travelling golfers and to creating new air travel routes in order to welcome more visitors than ever before, we believe the Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla is set to be a landmark event which further endorses and showcases our offering, announcing Jordan onto the world golfing map.”
Mark Lichtenhein, Chairman of the Ladies European Tour, said: “The Jordan Mixed Open will be a unique spectacle with both male and female golfers competing for the same trophy and there is no doubt that all LET players will have a keen eye on the Triquetra. The design perfectly reflects the unity of three tours coming together to compete in a brand new format and we thank Ayla for their strong commitment to sporting equality.”
David MacLaren, Head of the Staysure Tour, said: “The Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla is an important event not just for the continued development of the Staysure Tour, the Challenge Tour and the Ladies European Tour, but for golf in general.
“We have seen huge levels of engagement when male and female professional golfers have had the opportunity to compete alongside each other, as they do at the Vic Open and in Morocco at the Trophée Hassan II and Lalla Meryem Cup, or against each other as we saw at GolfSixes and the European Golf Team Championships this year.
“The Jordan Mixed Open adds a new dimension to mixed tournament golf with men competing against women for the first time in a stroke play event and seeing the trophy first-hand has only increased our excitement for next April’s tournament.”
Jamie Hodges, Senior Project Manager, European Challenge Tour, said: “This tournament involving the Challenge Tour, Staysure Tour and the Ladies European Tour is a landmark moment for all three tours.
“Jordan will represent the 50thcountry that the Challenge Tour has visited, and we are excited to achieve this milestone in a way that will grow the sport globally while furthering our history as a Tour that takes golf to new markets.
“What makes the Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla truly ground-breaking is that everyone in the field is competing for one prize, so I am thrilled to see the way the Triquetra Trophy represents this key innovation, while also being just a beautiful standalone piece of artwork.”
